The Reflection I Never Wanted to See
by stephfarrow94
Summary: When Fran doesn't use his illusions in time against the fight with Rasiel, the older twin takes both he and Bel captive, using them both to satisfy his twisted nature. R26, B26, yaoi, torture, rape. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**This fic is a tad AU as in I've changed some of the facts around to better suit the plotline. Example; as stated in the trivia, Fran doesn't feel pain because of a rare genetic disorder. I've changed that to him using illusions instead. And, as I don't think it was ever clarified how illusionists work, I'll most likely implement my own theory unless I find something that explains it. **

If there was one thing Fran would never have thought would happen to him, it would be that the enemy would capture him for failing to use illusions in time. But right here, and right now, both he and his partner were lying on the ground, twitching in pain as the two they had been fighting circled around them like a pack of hungry wolves.

_I should have used an illusion right from the start… _Fran, who was unaccustomed to feeling pain due to his illusions, bit back a whimper as his body felt as if it were on fire. Next to him, Belphegor lay face down in the dirt, his crown a few feet away from them, the same situation with Fran's frog hat that had come lose during the fall.

"Olgert, take them back to headquarters, will you?"

Fran had no idea if his partner was still conscious, and he wondered how the blond would be feeling right now, knowing he had lost once more to the twin he had despised since birth.

"At once, Master Rasiel."

The teal-haired male, who was barely conscious after hitting his head on a rock during the fall from the tree, wasn't sure if he was hearing things right or not; what were they talking about? _Taking us… to headquarters…? Why…?_

The Varia member couldn't move as he felt hands grabbing the back of bloodied head, pulling him from the ground by teal locks. He whimpered in pain, unable to conjure up an illusion – was it the pain that was stopping him? Or was it the fact that he was in a situation he had never been prepared for during his training?

"This one looks pretty useless," Fran heard whoever had grabbed him speak; his vision was black, and his mind was too clouded to be able to recall properly what had even happened.

"Shesheshe. He does. No matter. Take him anyway, Olgert."

"Sen…pai…" Fran didn't know he had the strength to call out for his partner; the fear that was slowly overwhelming him was enough to make him do things he wasn't aware he could.

To the boy's horror, the older Varia member didn't reply. _Is senpai… dead…?_

Fran whimpered again as he was roughly thrown into the air, slung across what he could only guess was someone's shoulder.

_Senpai… _Fran cringed as his body was jostled – having never actually experienced pain before was now _really _kicking him in the ass; how was he supposed to handle such pain without prior experience?

_Senpai, it hurts… Help… _ Fran knew he shouldn't rely on the superior he blatantly showed his hatred for the younger male, but right now he was – as much as he hated to admit it – scared. He was still young and in a predicament he didn't know how to handle; wasn't that fair enough?

As frightened as Fran was to feel such pain, to not know where they were going or what was happening, it was _nothing _compared to the horror he felt at the thought that, if Belphegor had died, he'd be all alone – and that was scarier than _anything _he had ever faced before.

_Senpai… Don't… die… _

With those thoughts in mind, Fran passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Fran came to, he was lying in a warm, soft bed, surrounded by walls and objects he didn't recognise. The room was full of furniture, a few desks here, some bookshelves there, even a second bed across from his. The walls where painfully white, almost metallic, reminding him of steel. The roof was much the same, a single light hanging down in the middle.

"So you're awake."

Fran jumped, not having noticed anyone else in the room with him – his vision was still fuzzy and his head was pounding.

Standing in the doorway was Belpehgor's twin, who Fran had come to know as Rasiel. The door had been closed when he had first looked at it so Rasiel must have only just arrived.

"I thought for a moment there you were as good as dead." The older twin sneered as he approached the boy, Fran's frog hat in his arms. "Wouldn't be as fun if you did die – wouldn't have had anyone to torture my shitty little brother with."

_Ah… Bel-senpai… _Fran whimpered, the pounding in his head worsening as he tried to recall what had happened to his partner. All he remembered was… was… _I don't… remember… what happened…_

From the other's words, Fran was sure Bel had survived the attack, so where was he…? Looking over to the bed across from his, teal eyes noticed for the first time that Bel was lying across from him, soaked in blood as his wrists and ankles were chained to the bedposts.

Fran tried to move his hand, wanting to reach out to his superior, but he only just now noticed at the restricted movement that he, too, was chained down. _What… happened to… my head…? Why does it… hurt so… much…?_

Rasiel laughed as he threw the frog hat at its owner, dancing his way over to his twin. He poked a pale cheek several times before a familiar groan could be heard, Bel's head twisting slowly from side-to-side.

"Bel…senpai…" Fran cried out weakly, hating how weak his voice sounded – it was hoarse, barely above a whisper; it would be a miracle if Bel even _heard _him. "Sen…pai…"

Bel lifted his head slightly, glancing over in his kohai's direction for a few seconds before rolling onto his side and vomiting violently on the floor.

"Shesheshe…" Rasiel waited until his twin's stomach settled before he reached out, grabbing blood-stained locks of blond hair and lifting Bel's face to his. He sneered as he raised a fist, driving it as hard as he could into his brother's face.

Bel made no noise as his face was pummelled over and over again, skin and bone breaking, blood oozing out of the wounds and onto the bed.

Rasiel stopped his assault on the younger as he looked down at the red droplets that stood out on the white sheets. He dropped Belphegor back down on the mattress, a twisted grin that sent shivers down Fran's back crossing his face.

"Oh, look at this…" Rasiel dipped his finger into the blood, raising it to his lips. He licked at the liquid, a soft moan sounding in the room, his obscured eyes never leaving Bel's face. "Little brother, your blood tastes so good."

Bel couldn't speak, the pain he was in wracking his body angrily. He could only look over to where Fran was staring in horror, a strange feeling spreading throughout his body. Why did he… feel _bad _that Fran was here? He _hated _the boy with a passion!

So why was it that he wanted to get Fran away? Why did he feel as if it was _his _fault for the tears that were running down the younger's face?

Rasiel, almost as if he had read his twin's mind, turned to Fran. He laughed before he approached the teal-haired boy, the sight of Fran backing up at his approach sending jolts of joy throughout his entire being.

As the older twin stood by Fran's bed, the boy could only whimper and duck his head, calling out for Bel to help him.

Rasiel reached out, grabbing Fran by the chin. He twisted the smaller male's head so that they were looking at each other, his tongue licking at his lips.

"You want that pathetic mutt over there to save you, frog?" Rasiel enquired. He smirked when Fran whimpered a reluctant yes, his eyes running all over the younger's body. "You're quite cute – for a toad, that is."

Fran's heart started beating faster at these words, afraid of what Rasiel could mean by them. His eyes darted to the side, breaking eye contact, only to receive a slap to the face for his disobedience.

"_Look _at the king when he is talking to you, toad," Rasiel snarled. "Answer him; do you, or do you not, want to be by Bel's side?"

"Y-yes…" Fran whispered, the pain in his head too much for him to be able to keep up his emotionless mask – he was truly terrified, and that in itself scared him more than anything.

Rasiel was silent as he unlocked the cuffs before he dragged the boy to Bel's side. He picked Fran up by the back of his Varia jacket, throwing him onto the weakened body of his twin.

"You can stay with him," Rasiel said in a sickly sweet voice. "You can't get out of this room even if you try. Might as well comfort each other while you still have time."

With that said, Rasiel walked back over to the door, sticking a key into the lock before leaving.

Bel and Fran looked at each other, Fran's face covered in sweat and tears as his frightened eyes begged for Bel's help. The blond, however, was covered in blood and he could only sneer as he weakly shoved Fran off the bed.

"Stay away from me, frog," Bel growled, trying to roll onto his side so that his back faced the younger. "It's all _your _fault we're here, after all."

_Bel-senpai… _Fran could feel the tears coming harder as his heart felt as if it were breaking; he looked up to Bel as much as he pissed the other off, and the fact that the blond wasn't going to help him left him feeling betrayed. _Bel-senpai, I'd… I'd help _you _if our positions were reversed…_

Bel, who was just too weak to do anything, closed his eyes, knowing that his senses would wake him up as soon as Rasiel came back.

_But why do I feel so bad for pushing the frog away…? _Bel bit his lip as he felt sleep enveloping him. _It's true it's his fault – if he had used his illusions… But he looked so scared… Fuck it, I need sleep. _

With that thought in mind, Bel lost himself to oblivion. Fran lay curled up on the floor by the bed, too frightened to leave the older man' side – even if said man treated him like shit.

Bel was all he had, and Fran – even if Bel didn't – _knew _they had to stick together if they were to come out of this alive.


	3. Chapter 3

When Bel's eyes opened again, it was to the sound of his teammate whimpering. He was sure he would have woken up if Rasiel had entered the room again, so surely his twin wasn't the one causing those sounds of distress from the younger… Right…?

Looking over to the bed Fran had been chained to previously, Bel soon gasped as he caught sight of his brother holding the teal-haired boy down to the bed, the lack of clothing on them both telling the younger twin exactly what he needed to know – Rasiel was far sicker than Bel could ever hope to be.

"Get the fuck off him, Siel," Bel snarled, disgusted to know that his sibling could do something so _wrong _– Bel knew he was far from perfect, but even _he _wouldn't do such a thing to someone.

"Shut up, shitty little brother," Rasiel growled back, sliding a knife across Fran's throat. He didn't draw any blood, but he had pressed hard enough for tears to leak under the red blindfold he had tied around the boy's eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you've already done this to the kid."

Bel scrunched his nose up at the words. "Like I'd ever touch the uncute kohai."

"I disagree." Rasiel turned around to sneer at his younger twin. "I think he's _very _cute."

Fran's body was trembling from the weight that sat atop him. He knew what Rasiel wanted from him, and it _terrified _him to know that he couldn't protect himself from the deranged blond _at all_; his eyes were covered, meaning illusions were out of the question, and he just wasn't strong enough physically to be able to fight Rasiel away – especially when his head was still so badly injured.

"B-bel-senpai…" Fran's voice had never been so emotional before – the boy was _frightened. _

_Why is he calling for _me…? Bel wondered, unable to understand the younger's reasoning. _All I do is abuse him and put him down… So why is it _me _he's calling for…? Why not _Mukuro…?

"You don't have time to be talking." Rasiel slapped Fran across the face, the boy's head snapping to the side from the impact. He grabbed frail wrists in his hands, locking them back into place with the handcuffs before he ran his finger through the blood that was now dripping down Fran's chin, leaking through his split lip. "Stupid toad."

"Please, don't…" Fran whimpered, trying to cross his legs together to keep Rasiel away.

"Ushesheshe…" the older blond slid a long finger down the boy's stomach, stopping at the patch of neatly trimmed teal pubic hair. "And here I was thinking your hair colour couldn't be natural."

Fran looked away in embarrassment, this entire situation new and frightening to him. He wanted to leave, go back to the Varia, the abandoned school, the streets – _anywhere _but here.

"Bel-senpai…"

Bel moaned as a wave of nausea hit him. He rolled to the side of the bed and threw up, reminiscent of what he had done upon first waking up here.

"Ushesheshe~" Rasiel smirked as he turned to look at his brother. "Can't bear to watch, little brother?"

"Fuck you, you sick asshole…" Bel muttered, unable to muster any authoritative tones. "I can't…"

The older twin grabbed Fran's flaccid member, eliciting a strangled cry of fear from the boy. "I'm not into incest, shitty brother; I'd much rather fuck the cute little toad."

Fran, who was now unabashedly showing his emotions, cried louder for Bel. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he felt his assaulter's hand sliding up and down his now-hardening length, wishing with all his being that this was just a nightmare he would soon wake up from.

"However, I'd much like to keep him in suspense before I do such a thing, shesheshe~" Rasiel released the boy and climbed off the bed, heading to the door. He hadn't released the cuffs on Fran's wrists, leaving him a trembling mess with an unwanted arousal. "I'll be back later. Ciao~"

Bel lifted his head to look over at Fran. The boy's face was red, stained with tears as he cried. His usually emotionless eyes showed nothing but fear, and his lips were turned in a trembling frown. His entire body shook, and he was left alone with an erection that didn't show any sign of disappearing soon.

"Froggy…?" Bel called out, not knowing what to say. Sorry my brother just molested you? No.

"I-I don't want it…" Fran whimpered, his voice cracking. "I-it won't g-go away… Senpai, I don't want it!"

Bel understood what Fran meant; he didn't want the arousal or anything that went hand-in-hand with it – but there was nothing either of them could do. "…I know, Froggy… I know…"

"W-why is my body a traitor…?" Fran sobbed, whimpering his thoughts out loud. "I didn't like it…! I swear it wasn't what I wanted… I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"

"What?" Bel was confused by Fran's apology, not understanding what on earth he could possibly be feeling guilty about. "Sorry for what?"

"F-for _this! _It's all my fault! I couldn't stop him touching me! I hated it, but it felt good, and my body liked it! I couldn't stop him, senpai… I-I couldn't –"

"-That's enough!" Bel snapped, feeling very uncomfortable with Fran's rambling. He knew that the boy was only young and didn't have any previous sexual experience, but damnit the kid needed to stop talking. "Fair enough, you couldn't stop him – but it's not your fucking fault, frog! Do you hear me? It's _not _your fault."

Fran didn't reply to these words; Bel snapping at him had tipped his fear over the edge.

Unable to so much as curl into a ball, Fran was left exposed as he cried himself into a fitful sleep, nightmares of Rasiel's touches plaguing his rest.

Bel, however, couldn't help but replay the incident over in his head. He himself had never been sexually assaulted, so he couldn't understand what Fran was experiencing, but he knew it was nothing nice.

The blond knew he needed to protect Fran, save the boy's innocence if at all possible. He needed Fran to trust him, and he needed the younger male to be strong enough to keep his own emotions and experiences in check; it wasn't that Bel didn't care about what the frog went through – it was that he wasn't emotionally able to be there for the kid he _hated. _

Fran knew Bel hated him – everyone did. But sometimes there were situations that called for that hate to be forgotten and protection to take its place. This was one of those times.

_**~~That night~~**_

While Fran watched in muted horror as Rasiel stabbed Bel again and again, the younger twin could only stare in defiance, forcing himself to keep his pain unnoticeable, not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him hurt.

"Do you know why I'm doing this, Bel?" Rasiel sneered, wiping clean the blood from his blade. He didn't wait for his brother to reply, saying, "It's for trying to kill me in our childhood. For every little thing you had ever done wrong by me. Never had you won over me – but that doesn't matter; I'm going to make you _suffer _for being born as the brother I will _never _need."

Bel was in agony, yes; the older blond had stabbed him in the chest and stomach enough times for him to lose count, and while he fought the darkness that kept creeping up on him, he whispered, "Froggy hasn't got anything to do with that… Let him go… He doesn't need to be here…"

"Ushesheshe~ Of course he does, little brother! I need something to fuck, and I certainly wouldn't fuck _you._"

"Sick… bastard…" With that muttered, Bel finally lost to the oblivion, the blood loss too much for him to handle.

Rasiel's sneer deepened as he got off the bed. He walked to the door and called for Olgert, demanding a medic to tend to his twin.

Just before he left the room, Rasiel turned back to the shaking, wide-eyed Fran. "I haven't forgotten about _you, _toad." With that said, the blood-stained twin left.


	4. Chapter 4

If Bel had ever thought he'd be captured by the enemy, it certainly wouldn't have been because Rasiel was still alive – but here he was, stuck in a bed, too injured to even _try _and escape. Fran was gone, taken somewhere by the butler, Olgert, and the blond could only stress about what was happening to him.

Bel had seen the look of terror on Fran's face as his handcuffs were undone and he was picked up by the dark-skinned man; it was clear the younger Varia member didn't want to be without Bel, and for some reason, that made the Storm Guardian's chest hurt in a way he had never felt before – it was so different to physical pain, and he just couldn't understand it.

No matter how hard Bel had tried to stop Olgert from taking his partner, he had been powerless – nothing but a pathetic _flea _handcuffed to a bed, unable to move without risking fainting. The wounds he had suffered were numerous, a multitude of stabs to his stomach and chest, his right leg was broken in three different places, his wrists were sprained from having been handcuffed for so long, and his left elbow had been snapped. He was sure his ribs were broken as breathing was both difficult and painful, and the vision in his left eye was blurry and dark.

_Froggy… _Bel moaned as he twisted his head to the side, soft pants escaping his lips. His teeth chattered as his lips turned blue, feeling unbelievably cold; he felt as if he were naked and had been dumped into a pool full of ice cubes. _Froggy, it hurts… _

The blond's body ached, his limbs feeling heavy. The arms that had been handcuffed upwards longed to rest on the soft mattress. His mind was hazy, and he just couldn't focus on anything – all he knew was that he was in pain, and he wanted Fran.

_Froggy, I'm… _Bel moaned again, wishing he at least had a blanket to try and fight away the chills. _…I'm so sorry… I don't care anymore… Just come back… Come back, Froggy…_

A horrid stench had been growing by Bel's side of the room, and the wounds that had barely been treated by the medics Rasiel had sent in were slowly caking themselves in pus, infections setting in.

The blond wanted to throw up – he really did! – but it hurt like a mother when the nausea hit him like a ton of bricks.

_Froggy… _Bel whimpered his pain spiked, shooting up his spine. _Froggy… I treated you so badly… but you're all I have right now… Please forgive me, even if it's only for now… So sick… So much pain… Feel… like I'm dying, Froggy… I'm scared… I don't want to die alone…_

Bel would have given anything to be out of this place, out of the pain and the fear he was feeling. He wanted to go back to the Varia, back to – well, _anywhere – _far, far away from this place.

_I want to die… Let me die… _Bel closed his eyes, just wanting the pain to stop – the fear he was so unaccustomed to feeling to disappear. _Froggy… C-come back… Come back so I can die… _

For the first time in – well, _forever _– Bel cried.

_**~~Fran~~**_

Fran had never felt so scared before; he was being dragged back to his 'room' by unknown hands, a blindfold stuck tightly around his eyes. His backside was a bloody, torn mess, and never before had he felt so much pain as he had earlier.

_So dirty… _Fran's hands instinctively scratched at his naked body, tears streaming down his cheeks through the black material. _Filthy… Dirty…! Disgusting! So disgusting! I can smell it… Feel it all over again… Make the memories stop…! Stop… Stop it! I feel so disgusting!_

Olgert, the man who was dragging the naked boy back to the room, allowed his eyes to wander the scrawny body; freshly inflicted bruises stood out against pale flesh, the blood staining the insides of his thighs and his rear – but most of all, the bite marks that littered his body, located mostly on his neck and his thighs. There were a few gashes from the knife Rasiel had been cutting him with, and blood from the unhealed head injury the night of their capture had reopened during the boy's struggle, dirty teal hair sticky with blood.

Fran had long since stopped talking, begging for them to stop, to leave him alone – to not take his innocence away in such a brutish manner, but none of the large group Rasiel had gathered together just for this had listened, laughing loudly at his pathetic pleas.

The boy wasn't even whimpering, moaning anymore – the only sounds that came from him was the occasional sniff as tears hit the floor beneath him.

"Master Rasiel was very happy with you," Olgert informed the boy as he scanned his card into the reader, unlocking the room Fran and Bel were kept in. "He has already arranged for such things to happen again."

"…" Fran just snivelled again, his tiny, trembling hand marred with smears of blood reaching up to wipe at the falling tears, unable to get the tightly-done blindfold off.

When Olgert stepped into the room, he sneered at the sight of Bel whimpering pitiably as his body shook worse than Fran's.

Taking the key from his pocket, the butler undid the handcuffs, watching as skinny limbs fell to the bed heavily.

Grabbing Fran by the hair, the dark-skinned man threw the lifeless body of Fran onto the bed, knowing that neither of them were going anywhere with the state they were in. He was quick to untie the blindfold and leave the room, not wanting to bear the stench of Bel's infected wounds any longer.

Bel, as soon as he recognised Fran's body against his, clutched the boy tightly to him, burying his face into the bloody skin of the younger's neck as he held back his tears, his hands touching the smaller body everywhere as if he almost couldn't believe what was happening.

"Froggy…" Bel whimpered, nuzzling a bruised cheek. His teeth continued to chatter, the boy's cold body making him feel worse – but he was so scared, he was desperate to be able to hold the boy and pretend that things will be okay. "F-froggy, w-what… W-what did t-they do… to you…?"

Fran didn't reply; his teal eyes were staring blankly behind Bel, so different to his usual emotionless gaze – it was as if Fran was locked away inside his mind, too scared to take notice of anything around him.

As Bel's hand trailed down Fran's hip, he flinched as a warm liquid went his hand.

Pulling his hand out from under the blankets, Bel frowned as he stared at the blood and semen tjat clung to his flesh, understanding instantly why Fran was like this – the boy had been raped, _multiple _times from the look of things.

"Aww, fuck, F-froggy…" Bel held Fran tighter, resting so that the boy's nose was nestled against the older male's throat, his teal hair tickling Bel's chin.

Fran still made no acknowledgement as Bel caused further pain and damage to his _own _body just for Fran's comfort, the older rolling onto his side and wrapping his broken arms around Fran.

"I-I'm so sorry… F-froggy…" Bel chattered. "So… So sorry…"

Fran didn't say anything, or even _move, _for the rest of the night; he just lay there, his eyes unseeing as Bel cried enough for both of them.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I wrote this chapter in the break room at work as I was waiting to start. Because my manger had to meet with our support manager, I noticed as I read through I got confused and wrote a few random words and sometimes accidentally used first person. I think I've fixed all the confusion up, but if anyone notices something they think is probably a result of my distraction, please let me know so I can fix it. **

The next day – or, at least, Bel _thought _was the next day, impossible to tell with this windowless room – the blond woke up again to Fran's screams. He jumped, forcing himself into a sitting position as he looked down at the trembling body still lying next to him.

"Froggy, s-stop s-s-screaming..." Bel forced out through his chattering teeth, the cold only _he _seemed to be able to feel worse than it had been before; it was enough for tears to well in his eyes as he wished desperately for a blanket.

Taking Fran into his arms, bringing him so that he was cradled against Bel's chest, the older male whimpered as he felt his already-broken arms take on more damage.

"F-froggy, stop..." Bel held on for dear life as the teal-haired boy's screams became louder, the skinny arms flailing everywhere as he battled to be released. "I-it's me... B-bel..."

Fran didn't seem to be able to hear his comrade, whether it were because of his screams or he was lost inside his mind again, the Storm Guardian didn't know.

_What have they _done _to him...? _Bel rested his face in blood-stained teal hair, closing his eyes. He sobbed, his nails digging in to the pale, bruised skin of Fran's back. _ They... They _broke _him...! Rasiel... I hate you, so _fucking much! _Why didn't you _die?!

Bel held the boy, the younger's struggles slowly becoming weaker as Fran used up the almost non-existent energy he had left.

"Froggy..." Slender fingers reached up, combing through teal hair sticky with dried blood. They made their way to Fran's cheek, caressing the bruised flesh as gently as they could. "Froggy... I'm s-so sorry... I couldn't p-protect you..."

By the time Fran stopped struggling, his lifeless teal eyes moved to look at the stronger male, a dazed, exhausted expression on his face. He still didn't speak, just staring as if he didn't understand who Bel was, if the blond was going to hurt him – just like Rasiel had.

_Is that it? _Bel felt his heat start to race at the thought; what if Fran thought he was _Rasiel? _What if Fran would hate him, distrust him, _fear _him for looking so much like the older twin that had done such awful things to them both? _He's... He's going to hate me... He's never going to see me as Belphegor again... I'll always be... I'll always be _Rasiel _to him..._

_I need... I need to fix this... I can't let him think _I'm _Rasiel... I would _never _hurt him like that, no matter how much I hate him... _

Bel's long digits moved from Fran's cheek, brushing over pale, split lips; the thought that his twin could have taken away the boy's first kiss as well as his innocence...

"Froggy..." Bel whispered, struggling to block out the cold and sickness he felt so prominently; his heart was aching for Fran's happiness, to give back the boy what had been taken by force from him – for the younger to have never been brought here in the first place. He didn't care if it had been him alone that had been taken after the attack – but he would give _anything _to be able to erase all this, for Fran to still be back at the Varia mansion, eating the cookies Lussuria made, to piss off Squalo and Xanxus with his snarky comments – to be _safe. _

Removing his fingers from small lips, Bel leant forward, placing his own against them. He felt Fran struggle once more and try to pull away, but the taller male was persistent, pressing harder against the injured lips. His nails dug into the boy's forearms as he squeezed them with bruising force, his body pressing against a far smaller one.

_Fuck it, Froggy... _Bel's eyes were closed as he forced his tongue into an unwilling mouth, tasting nothing but blood and semen. He moaned as he kissed the other aggressively, his frustration and fear, his _sadness _and _guilt _coming out in his actions. _Froggy, let me heal you... Let me take away everything they did to you... I'll love you and be careful with you, Froggy... Just... Just let me _fix _it! Let me stop your pain! Please!_

Fran didn't even whimper at all this unwanted attention; he merely let tears spill from his eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was certain he was about to be forced into... _activities _with all those men again, and it terrified him – so when lips were pulled away from his and he was laid back down on his side, nestled in strong, protective arms, he could only wonder; why hadn't it happened again? Rasiel had promised more, but... It didn't come... Why...?

Reaching out to touch red lips in uncertainty, a bit of life came back to Fran's teal eyes. Bel felt his heart race at this, not sure what to think; why was Froggy... Why would he do this when it was so clear he had been broken...? Hadn't wanted even a _kiss...?_

"Froggy...?" Bel whispered, unable to move away from those tiny fingers that ghosted against his face. "Froggy, I..."

At Bel's quiet voice, Fran blinked a few times, his surroundings slowly making themselves known; he was with Bel – still in this pace, but with Bel nonetheless. And, to his genuine surprise, it had been _Bel _who had kissed him...

But why...? Bel... Bel fucking _hated _him!

Fran whimpered as too many questions flew around his damaged mind. He pulled his hand back to his body and moved in closer to Bel's, burying his face in the older man's chest. He trembled as memories of what Rasiel and those other men had done to him, tears slipping harder down his cheeks.

Bel didn't speak at this; he merely held the boy tighter, knowing he had to be there for the seventeen-year-old – Fran was too young, inexperienced in life, and this was more than he could handle, both mentally and emotionally.


	6. Chapter 6

Bel wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had kissed Fran, but he did know that no matter what he did, the younger boy wouldn't talk – not even make a sound; he would just lay there and stare, almost as if he were lost in his mind.

Neither of them had seen Rasiel or Olgert again in this time, but the younger twin was almost certain it was only a matter of time before they'd come back.

Currently, Fran was cuddled against Bel's chest, trembling as he stared lifelessly around the room. The older male knew Fran was damaged, and he also knew the only thing that could bring him back to reality was his voice.

"Hey, Froggy…?" Bel had, by now, stopped feeling the freezing cold that had been plaguing him, but the infections that had set into his wounds didn't make him feel any better.

Fran jumped, almost as if he had been startled by Bel – like he had been so locked inside his head, he had forgotten that Bel even _existed, _much less was lying next to him.

It took a few minutes for the dazed, unfocused look in those teal eyes to disappear, but Bel was patient, understanding Fran was suffering his own pain. The blond pulled Fran closer to him once he could see the boy was focused on him.

Running a hand through bloodied teal hair, Bel whispered, "I'm trying my best to look after you, Froggy… The prince… I… I promise you that… I'm just so sorry you got caught up in this…"

Fran was silent as he raised a shaking hand, bringing it to rest on Bel's cheek. His eyes moved downwards, resting on the older male's red lips, the tip of his tongue poking past his own, as if he were trying to envision them kissing again.

Bel smiled as he cupped a bruised cheek, bringing their faces closer so that their noses touched. The blond tipped his head forward so that his forehead rested against Fran's, not knowing how else he could comfort the distressed boy.

"Froggy…" Bel whispered, sliding his hand down the boy's side and grabbing a trembling hand. He squeezed it tightly, trying to let Fran know that he was here. "Froggy, it's going to be okay… We're going to be okay…"

Fran shook his head, almost as if he didn't believe these words. His tongue poked out further, licking his dry, split lips.

Bel reached out, caressing the younger's lips with his thumb. He leant downward, placing his lips gently on them, his tongue coming to meet Fran's. He snaked one hand behind the other's head, holding him close, his other hand still holding the smaller one.

Fran moaned as his eyes slipped closed. His free hand fisted itself in Bel's bloodstained Varia jacket, pushing himself closer to the taller body. He shivered as he felt the Storm Guardian's hand travel down his naked back, and he moaned again when it came to rest against his rear.

"Is this okay…?" Bel whispered, hoping he wasn't overstepping any boundaries – all he wanted was to make Fran feel alright again, to wash away every little thing he was feeling because of _them, _replace_ their _filthiness with something the boy could want and enjoy.

Fran made no acknowledgement he had heard these words, but aside from the once-more unfocused look in his eyes, he made no move to protest.

Bel slid his hand over to Fran's stomach, rubbing circles against the scarring flesh. Fran's breath hitched at this action, jerking away as if the action was hurting him.

"Froggy?" Bel kissed Fran's throat, too scared to leave any marks – the bruises that had so clearly came from mouths left him with the worry that the younger may react badly if he tried to copy their actions. "Froggy, I… I don't know what I'm doing anymore…"

Fran's mouth hung open as he stared into Bel's eyes with a dazed look. "…"

"I…" Bel buried his face into Fran's neck, whispering about his fears, "…I'm scared I'm not doing enough for you… I don't… I don't want you to be broken… I just… I just don't know what to do… Am I doing the right thing, or… Or am I making it worse…? I just… I don't know… what to do…"

As expected, Fran didn't reply to these words; he just kept staring distantly. Bel wondered if he had even heard a word of what he had said.

"But I guess…" Bel sighed as the hard truth made itself known in his mind, "…I guess you'll never be the same anymore… You'll never tell me how to help you… You'll probably never talk again…"

As if it were a testimony to Bel's fears, Fran remained silent. His teal eyes were slowly slipping closed now, almost as if the small boy was powerless against the sleep that was consuming him.

Bel just ran his hand through teal hair as he hummed to his charge, wishing there was more he could do.

_Why am I feeling like this…? _Bel frowned as he fought back the urge to throw up, a strong wave of nausea hitting him. _Why do I… Why am I trying so hard to protect him…? I mean… I came here _hating _him, but… So why does my chest hurt so much at the thought of losing him…? At the thought of never hearing his snarky comments again…? Were all of his previous expressionless faces because he was _hiding _his emotions? Is that it? Seeing him now… It's so _different _to before… There was still _life _in his eyes back then… Now… He's nothing but a lifeless body…_

Bel held Fran as tenderly as he could, burying his nose in filthy teal hair. _You deserve so much better than this… than _me… _I'm… I don't deserve the way you're trusting me… I hated you… I belittled you and hurt you… Made you feel so bad about yourself all the time… I made you believe you were nothing but Mammon's replacement… _

_I don't deserve you, Fran… You don't deserve _this…

_Your heart was never cut out for this kind of life… You're too soft… Too gentle… That's why you've been hurt so badly…_

_Fuck it, Fran… Even now, I _still _don't deserve you…_

_**~~Later that day~~**_

Rasiel had danced into the room a few hours after his two captives had fallen asleep, a large grin on his face. He stabbed his twin in the arm with a knife, jolting the younger back into reality. Fran jumped at Bel's shout of pain, a small whimper escaping his lips at the sight of their tormentor standing before them. The boy pressed himself against Bel, wanting the Storm Guardian to protect him.

"I have great news, ushesheshe~" Rasiel licked the blood of his blade, his grin widening as his brother swore hatefully at him. "I was told that our boss killed Mukuro Rokudo~ It's actually quite the coincidence that his prized student is here with me, isn't it~?"

Fran whimpered again as tears welled up in his eyes; he had loved Mukuro, the man being more of a father than he had ever had.

"Isn't also fantastic that both Varia _and _Vongola are almost ready to stop looking for you both?" the older twin continued on. "They're all starting to believe you're both dead, ushesheshe~"

The boy rolled onto his side, his back facing Rasiel. He buried his face in Bel's chest and sobbed, feeling protective arms encase him.

Rasiel laughed again, noticing the way the other blond's limbs were jutting out in odd angles where they had been broken – Bel's elbow was most noticeable, the joint extremely swollen, the injury preventing the young man from straightening out his arm.

"Oh, dear, little brother~" Rasiel laughed as he reached out, grabbing his twin's broken arm. "Looks like the bone hasn't set properly. Looks like we're going to have to re-break it, ushesheshe~!"

"Sick bastard!" Bel snarled, trying to pull his arm back to his person. "Let me go – ahh, fuck!"

Bel curled in on himself as he shouted, the pain of having his ruined elbow snapped in half worse than when it had originally broken. His shouts and profanities could barely be heard over Rasiel's insane laughing, and Fran could only freeze up at all of this, locking himself in his mind again.

"I'll fucking kill you…" Bel snarled in between heavy pants, the hatred he felt to his brother worse than ever. He pulled Fran closer to him with as he screamed, "I'll _fucking kill you!" _

"Ushesheshe~ You can only dream, shitty little brother." Rasiel moved down, grabbing the leg that had been broken in three different places.

Grinning a sick grin that put Bel's own murderous smiles to shame, the older twin snapped the younger's shin before moving upwards, making his way to Bel's kneecap. He laughed at his brother's shouts and screams, feeling his pants become tighter as the younger thrashed in pain.

Fran was still lifeless as Bel writhed all over him; the shock of everything that had happened, and then finding out Mukuro was dead was just too much for him.

Rasiel, noticing the way Fran just laid there, grabbed the boy by the hair, pulling him from the bed. "I think the cute little frog needs some more… _special attention._"

"I hate you!" Bel screamed, wishing he had his knives – no, he didn't care what he had – he'd use his fucking _bare hands _if he had to! – to rip his brother to pieces, just like what he _thought _he had already done. "I'm going to _kill _you! Let him _go! _Let him go, you sick bastard!"

"Ushesheshe~ Me? The sick one?" Rasiel sneered as he moved his hand downward to grope at Fran's crotch. "Aren't you the one who tried to _kill _me when we were just eight-years-old? Weren't you the one who got aroused at all that pain from our fights? From all that blood? It turned you on, didn't it? You sick little whore."

Bel dragged himself to the side of the bed, reaching out. He grabbed Fran's wrist, holding it tightly, almost as if he were trying to pull the younger away from Rasiel.

"Let him go…" Bel panted, tugging at his comrade. "You don't… deserve him…"

"And you don't either, ushesheshe~ Don't try and delude yourself otherwise – this boy is cute and desirable; all you've done is treat him like shit. Even when you first came here – you didn't care for him or how he was feeling; all that mattered to _you _was how _you _felt. You wouldn't have cared had I killed this boy on day one. Do you really think he's going to love you after this? He won't. He's going to hate you for not helping him sooner. Just think; if you had supported him earlier, you both may not be in this mess. Blame yourself, little brother – it's _all _your fault."

Rasiel's hand shot out, grabbing blond locks as he pulled his brother to the floor. Bel shouted again, but no matter how hard he tried to grasp at the bottom of his twin's pants and stop him from leaving, he was just too lightheaded to see straight.

Rasiel left, Fran in tow, leaving Bel alone once more.

Laying on the ground in a defeated heap, Bel cried. _Please… Please don't give up on us… Xanxus… Squalo… L-Lussuria… D-don't stop looking… Please… We're not dead, but… we may be soon… We _will _be if you stop looking… Please… You're all we have… If not for me… Please, come and help Fran… Get him away from here… Please… Help him…! Help him! _

As Bel pleaded silently with _something _that would listen, all he could think about was Fran. What if the Varia _did _find them? What if they couldn't help Fran? What if Fran was going to forever be broken?

_Please no… _Bel knew his brother was right – this _was _all his fault.


	7. Chapter 7

Bel had never wanted to die before – not until his older twin had brought him to this place full of pain and torture. And now, as he watched the way Rasiel sexually abused Fran, he knew he wanted to take the other blond out with him.

Fran was silent as his tormentor thrust aggressively into his body, his fingers digging into the mattress beneath them. His face was twisted in pain, but his teal eyes were open and unfocused, almost as if he was barely aware of what was happening to him.

The younger twin could hardly move from the ground where he still laid, three days after Rasiel had taunted them with Mukuro's death; he had a very high fever and he just couldn't move his limbs, no matter how hard he tried. His body was stick thin – as was Fran's – from the lack of food they had been given, and they both stunk of sweat, blood and – in the younger boy's case – dried semen.

Bel wanted nothing more than to be able to kill himself and take Rasiel along for the ride, but he feared leaving Fran alone in the place – even if the first-born wouldn't be here to hurt him further, there were still plenty other males who had had a taste of his body.

The younger blond knew that, no matter what, he had to keep pushing – if only for Fran's sake.

Rasiel, who could feel his climax approaching, pulled himself from Fran's body so that he could instead dirty the boy's face further. He was just coming down from his high as the communication device in his ear beeped, signalling an incoming message.

Bel listened as his brother spoke back, his obscured eyes narrowing in hatred.

"What?" Rasiel hissed, his hand holding the small device as he spoke back. "What the fuck do you _mean _'they found us'?"

Bel felt his already-furiously beating heart quicken, his mouth going dry at these words; had they been found…? Was someone coming to rescue them…?

"Well, fucking _kill _them!" Rasiel snarled into his ear piece, his mouth twisting into his usual sick grin. "And when you're done with them, bring them here so I can show my little brother and my toy how they're never getting out of here."

"Sick bastard…" Bel growled. His body twitched as his imagined himself ripping Rasiel apart here and now.

The older twin stood up at these words, making his way over to his brother. He kicked the younger as hard as he could in the face, laughing at the blood that quickly stained the left half of Bel's face, streaming from a knife wound he had inflicted upon him yesterday.

"Ushesheshe~" Rasiel smirked as he leant down, gripping bloodied blond hair as he dragged Bel's torso from the ground. "You're so lucky you're weak enough for your body to go into shock from all of this, shitty little brother; I was actually planning to have you rape the frog yourself. Guess your body chose the right time to go immobile – but then again, I always _can _help the cute little frog ride you, little brother. Does that sound good? Does it?"

"Lay your fucking hands on him again, and I'll make _sure _you die this time…" Bel snarled.

"Oh, sounds fun,"Rasiel taunted. "Let me just go get the frog and bring him over."

Bel held his breath; he knew there was no way he could do this to Fran, but he was powerless to stop his twin.

"What the fuck _now?" _

Bel turned to look at his brother. Rasiel had stopped walking, standing in the middle of the room with his hands at his ear again.

"Are you fucking _serious?" _Rasiel, reminiscent of what he had done just seconds earlier, kicked Fran in the head, sending the younger motionless. "Do I have to do _everything _myself?"

Bel watched as the older male started moving back towards the door to their room, praying he would leave.

"I'll be back," Rasiel hissed to the other blond as he stormed out of the room.

Bel ignored him, horrified at all of the blood that was pooling around Fran's head. The younger's eyes were open, but they were glazed over, staring unblinkingly in front of him. He knew the frog's head was still tender from the very first attack on them, and all he could think was that Fran was dead.

The thought repeated over and over again in Bel's head as tears streamed down his cheeks. He tried so hard to make his body move as he screamed for Fran, but there was no reply.

_He's dead…! _Bel screamed in his head. _He's dead, and I couldn't do anything…! I… I-I couldn't even tell him… that I didn't… That I didn't hate him…! He _died _thinking I _did _hate him…! _

Bel had never pushed himself so hard before; with a trembling arm that scarcely worked, he slowly dragged himself over to Fran. He didn't know how long it had taken to get there but, all he knew was that he eventually was lying on top of the fragile body, tears dripping down onto Fran's filthy face as he cried.

There was still a slight rise and fall of Fran's chest, Bel could feel, and he could only hope that his teammate would survive the ordeal – the blond knew he couldn't do this alone.

"Froggy…" Bel sobbed as he crushed his lips to dirty ones, kissing as passionately as he could in their own states. He ground his hips against Fran's body, crying as he did so; he had no idea what he was doing anymore – all he knew was that he had to _– needed _– to wash away Rasiel's marks with his own, to claim Fran as his, to bring the boy back to him. "Fuck… Froggy… Please…"

Fran, who seemed to be unconscious, didn't make any noises of pleasure, despite the rising bulge against Bel's thigh.

"Froggy… Fran…" Bel quickened his pace, rubbing Fran's smaller member between their bodies. "Fran, I… I don't… I don't hate you… I swear… D-don't… Don't die believing I do!"

As Bel screamed these words, the door behind them opened again as several males ran into the room. The Varia Storm couldn't stop his actions, moaning as his hips grinded against Fran's in an almost vicious pace.

"Oh, fuck!"

Bel ignored the cry behind him, tears slipping harder down his cheeks as he felt his climax hit him. It was unsatisfying as he sprayed his own seed all over F ran's body, mixing in with Rasiel's and who-knew-who-else's.

"Bel, stop!"

Bel whimpered as he was pulled away from Fran, moaning for the boy. He could barely make out who had entered the room, his damaged eyes showing nothing but several blurs.

"Bel, no!"

The blond didn't know why he curled into whoever was holding him against their chest; all he knew was that it wasn't Rasiel here with them, and that knowledge comforted him more than anything.

"F-froggy…" Bel could make out someone picking Fran up from the ground, holding him in tender arms. "D-don't die…"

"Bel, it's going to be okay." The voices were semi-familiar to Bel, but he couldn't pick out where he knew them from. "We're going to get you out of here."

Bel moaned as he felt his body shut down once more, the pain he was in taking over once more. He cried out as he was lifted into someone's arms, his aching body hurting more than anything he had experienced before.

"Tsuna, he…"

_T-tsuna…? _Bel's eyes slipped closed as exhaustion overwhelmed him. _Vongola… Decimo…?_

"Yamamoto?"

"…He's dying, Tsuna…"

_Froggy…? _More tears slipped down Bel's cheeks at these words. _Are they… talking about Froggy…? Is Froggy… dying…? Without knowing… that I… That I _love _him…? _

"Froggy…" Bel whimpered, hoping desperately that Fran could hear him – he couldn't let the other die like this! "Froggy… I don't… hate you… anymore… Love you… Love you… Froggy… Don't die… Please…"

"We've got to get them back to Headquarters, Tsuna."

"I know. Be careful with them."

"Tsuna, I don't know how much longer this one has…"

"Hurry."

All of these voices just melded into one, Bel thought as he passed out, unable to differentiate anything anymore; all he knew was that his frog was going to die.

**I actually have two different ideas for the ending of this fic, but I'm finding it difficult to choose between which one I want to use. If anyone wants to hear them and give me their opinion on them, I'd love to hear from you. **


	8. Chapter 8

Bel moaned as he came to. His head was throbbing like nothing he had ever experienced before, and his entire body felt as if it were on fire. He blinked, trying to see out from behind his shaggy bangs but, as they had before, showed him nothing but dark blurs.

"F-froggy…?" the blond's voice was hoarse, but Bel couldn't bring himself to care anymore – not after everything that had happened.

Digging his fingers into what felt like a mattress beneath him, Bel forced himself to whimper louder. "F-froggy…!"

"Shh…"

The Varia's Storm tensed as he felt something wet dab at his forehead. His first thought was that it was his brother, but when the familiar voice of Lussuria whispered to him, he relaxed.

"It's okay, Bel," the Sun Guardian soothed. "It's going to be okay. I've cleaned up your injuries. Just rest for now. You're going to be okay."

The younger male winced at these words, just glad that he apparently hadn't been conscious while his body was being mended – he felt sick enough remembering everything Rasiel had done to him – he didn't need to _see _the evidence as well.

"…What… What about…"

"Fran?" Lussuria asked, moving forward on the small chair he had pulled out by Bel's bed. He went oddly silent at this question, fumbling with his hands, before he eventually explained. "…We don't… _know… _Fran… Fran isn't… Well… There's nothing we can do for him, Bel…"

Bel's stomach twisted at these words, not knowing how to take them. "…Is Froggy… gonna die…?"

"No, Bel," Lussuria soothed. "…It's… his mental state… He's a mess… I can't heal what's on the inside, sweetie… as much as I wish I could…"

"…Froggy… stopped talking to me…" Bel whispered back. "…I think he… I think he might hate me…"

"Fran has suffered very much, we found," the older male said. "…We believe… he may even have suffered brain damage…"

Bel closed his eyes at these words, the nausea he had felt constantly overwhelming him. Lussuria helped him roll onto his side after seeing the way the younger's face paled, and he could only sigh and hold back blond bangs as Bel threw up nothing but bile.

"It's okay, Bel," Lussuria whispered, reaching out to rub his comrade's back. For once, he just couldn't bring himself to grope Bel's backside, or even flirt with him – it was just far too _wrong _to even _think _about such things in this situation. "It's going to be okay. Fran's going to live – that's the important thing."

"…I tried so hard, Luss…" Bel shared, raising an arm – which he only just now noticed was in a cast – to wipe at his mouth. "…I tried so fucking _hard _to protect him… But I couldn't… I was so _useless…!_"

"That's not true," the Sun Guardian protested. "You _tried _to protect him. Imagine where he'd be if you hadn't been there – even if you feel you couldn't do much, I bet just that little bit of comfort from _having _someone there with him stopped him from shutting down completely."

"But… Siel _broke _him, Luss!" Bel couldn't stop the tears that ran down his cheeks. He tried to push himself closer to the older man, but he was finding it extremely difficult with all the casts and bandages that covered almost every inch of his body.

"Don't cry, Bel." The flamboyant man wiped at the tears with the back of his hand, never having thought this would ever happen to them. "I know it's very sad, but all we can do for Fran is be there for him."

"Can I see him…?"

It broke Lussuria's heart to have to say no to Bel's request; Fran wasn't in a state to see _anyone _just yet; the boy was wearing a pair of oversized pyjamas from one of the Vongola guardians to compensate for the uniform that had been lost, his teal eyes just stared blankly at anyone and everyone, he kept crying and whimpering, inaudible murmurs escaping his lips as if he were calling out to someone, and his hands continued to grasp at nothing in particular – it was very upsetting to witness, and Lussuria knew Bel wasn't ready for this.

"Soon, Bel."

Bel couldn't help but cry into Lussuria's chest, the stress of everything that had happened to them breaking him down.

_**~~Fran~~**_

"What are we going to do with him?" Squalo asked his boss, watching the way Fran trembled in his sleep.

Xanxus just shrugged, his cold eyes fixed on his Mist Guardian. "He's no use to us anymore. We may as well kill him."

Squalo's silver eyes widened at these words, moving to stand in front of Fran's hospital bed. He shook his head, growling, "We are _not _killing Fran. I don't give a fuck if you _are _the boss – we can't kill _Fran._"

Leviathan stood behind his boss, glaring at the boy on the bed. The only person that mattered to him was Xanxus, and if the Sky Guardian wanted to kill Fran, then so be it.

"Don't argue with the boss!" Levi said as he moved to stand in front of the dark-haired man. He spread his arms out protectively, his eyes narrowed at Squalo.

"Fuck up, trash." Xanxus kicked his subordinate to the ground, stepping closer to Squalo. "There's no point in this piece of trash. He's broken. We don't need something like that in Varia. If he can't do his missions, we have no use for him."

"Boss, you don't have a right to say he can't do missions," Squalo defended. "Maybe he can't do them now, but who says he won't do them in future?"

"We don't need more trash that will only cause problems." If Xanxus had a wine glass, he would have thrown it at his subordinate already. "How are we supposed to take care of him?"

"I…" Squalo's eyes narrowed, knowing Xanxus was right – they were a bunch of murderers; not _therapists. _

"And supposing we can't do anything for him," Xanxus continued. "You would rather him suffer over putting him out of his misery?"

Squalo's eyes ducked to the ground. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to imagine how he would feel if he were in the younger boy's shoes. "…Voi… I just…"

"We'd be doing him a favour." Xanxus nodded. "He won't be in pain."

"But then you could say you're obligated to put Bel out of _his _pain, too!" the Varia's Rain snapped. "Just because _Bel _didn't come back like _Fran, _nothing has to happen to _him!_"

"It's _different, _trash!" Xanxus snapped. "The trash is more or less _dead _already! He's _useless!_ Bel can still do his fucking job!"

"I really don't know if you're thinking of Fran's feelings or just making excuses to get rid of him!" Squalo roared, paying no attention to the boy who was now watching them warily. "Which one is it?! I was actually fucking surprised you didn't want Fran to be in pain, and now you're spouting about him being _useless! _Just because he can't fulfil his duties doesn't mean we have to kill him!"

Xanxus scoffed. "And what would _you _do with him?"

"I'd let him _live!_ Just because he's like this now doesn't mean he's not… not _Fran! _If you're so caught up in his 'uselessness', then remove him from the ranks! Replace the replacement! Leave him with someone who _wants _to look after him! He went through all _that, _boss! How can you just give up on him when he's suffered more than _any _of us can understand?!"

"…" Xanxus' dark eyes glared ferociously into silver ones. He knew that, for once, Squalo wasn't going to back down, and Fran just wasn't worth the headache.

Turning around to leave, the Sky Guardian snarled, "Do with him as you wish, trash."

Leviathan was quick to follow his boss, leaving Squalo alone with Fran. The boy watched the long-haired man warily, shivering as a large hand reached out to him.

"You really _are _a shithead," Squalo said softly, hating the way Fran pulled away from him. "Look at you, worrying everyone like this… You're fucking lucky I had a soft spot for you…"

Fran remained silent as his eyes fixed on Squalo, following him everywhere. He cried every now and then, but for once, Squalo didn't mind being the babysitter, doing everything he could to soothe the distressed boy.

_I just hope that Bel will have better results than any of us with him… _Squalo sighed as he slumped down in a chair by the hospital bed, not knowing what to do – never before had he been in this situation.


	9. Chapter 9

Bel hated how he was so weak, the only thing he could stomach was soup – but he could only imagine how Fran was feeling, the boy too traumatised to accept any food and instead having to be force fed through an IV.

The blond's body was as broken as Fran's mind was. Lussuria had told him the nerves in his right arm had been too badly damaged from the bone resetting the wrong way, and he would never be able to use it the same again. He wouldn't walk by himself for several months, the bones shattered and muscles torn. His optical nerve had been damaged, leading to blurred, dulled vision which Lussuria worried was only worsening with time. The infections that had plagued his body were being combated with antibiotics, and the fever he had was slowly breaking.

The Storm Guardian was eating slowly, being hand-fed by Lussuria; the blond's hands were broken, making it difficult for him to take care of himself.

"When can I see Froggy…?" Bel asked as he heard the spoon scraping against the bottom of the bowl in Lussuria's lap.

"I'll take you to see him tonight, okay?" the older male promised, knowing that in the week they had separated the two partners, neither of them had been doing very well at all. "I was hoping by now he'd have settled in to his new surroundings, but…"

Bel knew where they were; they had been brought back to one of the Vongola Headquarters while said Vongola guardians fought to fix what had caused all of this.

"Will Froggy…" Bel sighed. "…Will Froggy ever… be the same again…?"

"We can only hope, Bel," Lussuria whispered, running his hand through blond locks. "We can only hope."

_**~~That same night~~**_

The Varia's Storm Guardian had never felt as pathetic as he did right now, sitting in a wheelchair as Lussuria transported him through the long, blindingly-white, winding halls of the Vongola Headquarters – he felt useless, as if pity had been taken on him for what he had been unable to prevent.

"I hope Froggy is feeling better tonight…" Bel was quiet as he spoke, almost hesitant to a point. Lussuria couldn't help but acknowledge that, ever since the younger had been rescued, there had been no mention of his royal status at all – had Rasiel broken even Bel's _pride _as a _prince…?_

"He might when he sees you've come to visit him," Lussuria tried. "He always did seem to be most comfortable around you."

"But… But what if Froggy thinks I'm… I'm Siel…?" Tears started sliding down Bel's cheeks at this thought. "He… I might… make him worse…"

"Bel… Sweetie, you did all you could for Fran – I'm sure there's no way Fran will believe you to be someone you're not."

"…What if… What if he still thinks I hate him…?" the blond choked. "…It… It's true I _did, _but… He was all I had... All _we _had…"

"This is _Fran _we're talking about." Lussuria stopped wheeling the wheelchair and moved to instead stand in front of Bel. He leant down, hugging the younger tenderly as he whispered, "Despite his snarky attitude, he's got a good heart. He doesn't hate anyone, and I'm sure he'll understand when he gets better. What's important now is that you're here for him – that's a huge step for you, Bel. I'm so proud of you."

Bel just nodded, unable to return the embrace with his damaged body.

_**~~Fran~~**_

Sometimes when Fran was by himself, he could _see _Rasiel standing by his bed, leering down at him with that disgusting smirk he wore every time the older man touched him. It frightened him and made him want to cry and scream and get away, but then there were the times the blond would fade away, replaced instead by the soothing voice of Bel he had become accustomed to seeking out, reassuring him that it would be okay.

Fran was bothered by the people who stayed in his room with him. It wasn't that they did anything to him – they just sat in the corner most of the time – but if the boy studied them hard enough, he was almost sure he could see Rasiel's face on their bodies, hear his unnerving laughs…

The teal-haired male couldn't even escape the blond's taunting in sleep – Rasiel followed him _everywhere _like a shadow.

The door opening to his room startled Fran. Moving his eyes towards the door, he shivered as he watched a wheelchair come in, a blond that looked so much like his assaulter being brought in.

The boy almost started crying at this, his heart racing. He trembled, ghostly touches wandering over his body as he remembered the unwanted touches he had received from their abductor.

But when the Rasiel-lookalike started whispering in a voice that sounded as broken as he felt, Fran relaxed. He recognised the voice to be Bel-senpai's, and it gave him the comfort that, if he were here, he would be protected as well as possible from the man who sought to hurt them both.

"Shh, Froggy…" Bel reached out with a trembling hand as he was wheeled closer to the bed. He took Fran's tiny, shaking hand in his, squeezing it. He looked at all of the IVs that were hooked up to the Mist Guardian, shuddering in disgust at the bandage wrapped tightly around Fran's head. "Froggy, Bel-senpai is here with you. Shh.."

Though Fran felt the older male's voice send a relaxing wave throughout his being, he couldn't stop the way his body reacted in fear, almost as if it were used to everything Rasiel had done, expecting more of the filthy assaults.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while," Lussuria said quietly as he turned to leave, knowing that Bel would want to spend time with the boy.

"Froggy…" Bel leant over the bed, resting his forehead against the younger's. He sighed as their breaths mingled together, wanting so badly to claim those dry, split lips for his own. "Froggy, I… I love you, Froggy… I'm so sorry for everything I did to you… If I could go back and fix this, I'd never have let this happen to you…"

Fran didn't speak; his teal eyes just stared into Bel's bangs, his chest rising and falling softly.

"I'm not a good person, but I promise you I'll do my best to look after you from now on…" Bel promised, running his thumb against the now-calloused skin of Fran's hand. "I'll… I'll move your stuff into my room when we get back to Italy… You can stay in my room with me if that will make you feel better… I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again, Fran… I swear…"

Fran just blinked innocently, watching as Bel dropped his head onto the fragile chest before him. He listened to Bel's cries, but he couldn't do anything to help – he was just too lost to know what to do, or even what was _happening. _

"I swear…" Bel whispered, his tears falling harder, "…I swear I'll… I'll never hurt you again… Fran… I only want to look after you… Make you feel better…"

Fran didn't know why, but it comforted him to be like this with the older man. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he understood – Belphegor was here to protect him now, make sure no one ever hurt him again.

For the first time since the assault, Fran slept soundlessly that night.

**I think I'll do the epilogue next, unless there's something you think I haven't touched on enough and you want me to write more about it. **


	10. Chapter 10

**When I mentioned an epilogue last chapter, I forgot to mention that the epilogue will be split up into multiple chapters as it's rather long. **

When sixteen-year-old Belphegor received his memories of the future, the first thing that hit him was an overwhelming sense of fear and pain. He could remember crystal clear everything that had happened to him and a boy named Fran – despite never having _known _a Fran in his life. One thing was for certain; with everything that they had gone through together, he was going to find Fran and protect him for the rest of their lives.

When the blond boy mentioned his wishes to Lussuria, the Sun Guardian could only smile, his own memories telling him that, even now, the trauma the two youngest Varia members had experienced must have been extraordinary.

"Do you know where the prince can find him?" Bel asked; his memories told him that the boy had been shipped to them from Mukuro's care, a replacement after Mammon had died.

"I believe he came from France," Lussuria replied. "Jura, I think was written in his records. Aren't you so sweet! Still wanting to go and find him, even though technically nothing has happened to him."

"He might still have his memories, like us." Bel grimaced, fiddling with his hands. He had never thought he would love and want to protect someone – but after having been hit like a cement truck by memories that distressed _him, _he could only imagine Fran's reaction, especially since the boy should only be little in this current timeline. "What if… What if the damage carried over…?"

"Well, there's only one way we can be sure." Lussuria ruffled blond hair as he smiled his gentle smile, understanding that this must be important if _Prince the Ripper _wanted to make sure someone was okay – what had they went through in the future? He could only imagine. "I'll call a meeting with the Varia and see what can be done, okay?"

Bel nodded. "The prince will be in his room. Tell him what happens."

As the blond traversed up the stairs of the Varia mansion, he could only think about the teal-haired boy from his memories. He could remember hating Fran, but after Rasiel had done _that _to them…

Was that why Fran was important to Bel? Even now, ten years in the past when the blond hadn't even _met _him…? He had never cared about _anyone _before, much less love someone, but he could remember that was what his future self constantly said to Fran after they had been rescued.

_What does 'love' feel like…? _Bel frowned as he rested a hand on his tummy. He couldn't recall any distinguishing feelings from his future self that could possibly answer his question, and it made him wonder; how did he know for _sure _he loved Fran? Was it just one of those things you knew? Or could you physically _feel _love? Bel had never felt anything for anyone, apart from the comfort he felt around the Varia members he had lived with since he was eight.

_What is this strange feeling in my stomach…? _Bel let out a soft sigh, trying to understand why he felt as if his stomach was twisting when he thought about love. Was it because love was something he just had never been given by _anyone? _He had never thought about love before, believing it to have no importance in his life.

Bel continued on to his room, so many questions, but just no answers.

_**~~Jura, France~~**_

Fran had been sleeping soundly in his bed when he had woken up with a severe headache. Images played through his mind like a movie, but it didn't make any sense to him – who were all these people he had never met before? They called themselves 'Varia' from what he could make out, but…

Fran didn't understand why, but as he sifted through the scenes in his hand and came across one of a blond with a twisted grin, doing things to whom he could only imagine was himself in the future, he panicked. He felt scared, trapped – as if there was nothing he could do. He felt as if he were in danger, like he wanted to cry – and the worst thing of all was, he just didn't understand _anything. _

The boy didn't want these images in his head so, trying to push them out of his mind, he crawled out of his bed.

The small cottage he lived in with his grandma was very small, so the soft pattering of his tiny feet only lasted for less than ten seconds as Fran crossed the hall and into his grandmother's room.

"Grandma…?" Fran climbed into the woman's bed, curling up against her. He didn't know why these… these _dreams _wouldn't leave him alone, nor why even the comfort of his grandmother hugging him and whispering to him just couldn't calm him down.

For the first time in a long time, Fran was so scared, he was crying – and he just didn't know _why. _


	11. Chapter 11

Though it had taken several months for the Varia to have time to fly out to France and search for the boy from their memories, Bel eventually found himself standing outside the front door of the cottage that was Fran's home. He listened as his comrades conversed with an old lady, and his heart was sinking at what he was hearing.

"Fran?" the old woman smiled at the thought of her grandson. "He's down by the river playing as he usually is."

"Will it be alright if we go and see him?" Lussuria asked.

Fran's grandmother who had, so far, seemed like a very nice woman, frowned at this question. She was silent for a few seconds before she said, "…He had a nightmare a while back, and… he hasn't been the same since…"

Bel perked up at these words, a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. He couldn't describe the sensation, much less name it – all he knew was that his heart had sped up and he felt as if he were a tad nauseas. "A nightmare…?"

The woman nodded. "He woke up a few months ago crying. He wouldn't tell me what his nightmares were about, but… since then, he's been quieter than ever and withdrawing more than usual. It's almost as if he's… _scared."_

"Why would he be scared?" Lussuria asked gently, wanting to rule out if the boy's strange behaviour was from the memories or not – if they were… the trauma must _still _be overwhelming him… How horrible.

"I don't know," the woman replied. "He doesn't have any major stressors in his life, or even a trauma. It just… came out of nowhere…"

Bel didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation; he turned around and left, heading straight to where he believed the river would be. He could only hope that it was a coincidence Fran had started acting differently the same time they had all received their memories.

_**~~By the river~~**_

Fran had been silent as he sat on a large rock resting in the middle of the stream, staring into the ripples of water as he shivered, not liking the presence of these teenagers who seemed to have come out of nowhere.

The tallest one, a blue-haired male with his hair spiked at the back, was trying to coax him into coming with them, and that idea terrified him; he had a feeling he knew the teenager but he just couldn't remember where – what if _he _had a role to play in why the younger so recently felt so… so _different?_

"I can see you're an illusionist, little one." The heterochromatic eyed male's voice was sickly sweet, almost as if he believed this fact would be enough to convince Fran to go with him. "I can train you, teach you how to master that power."

Fran reached up to put his hand against the apple illusion he always kept on his head. He shook his head, the illusion swinging with him. "I don't want to… I don't even know your name…"

The teenager knew this boy was _not _the same one as the Fran from his memories – _that _Fran had been snarky and enjoyed nothing more than pushing someone's buttons; this one was withdrawn and quiet, almost as if he was too scared to want to be around people. His memories gave him nothing to go on about this change as the last time he had contact with the younger during the future was when he was shipping him off to Varia.

Was that it? Had the _Varia _done something to Fran…?

"Mukuro," the blue-haired teenager said. "Mukuro Rokudo."

"I want to stay with my grandma…" Fran looked his feet as he said this, not knowing how to feel safe anymore. "I don't want to go with you…"

"Fran!"

Mukuro and his gang looked over their shoulders as they heard someone call out to the boy. They were surprised to find the Varia running towards them, almost as if they didn't want the blue-haired teenager near Fran.

The Strategy Captain was in the lead while Lussuria and Leviathan followed behind him closely. The young Storm Guardian was still a distance away, standing by the trees and watching things carefully. Mammon, their current Mist Guardian, floated by Bel's head. Xanxus was nowhere to be seen.

"Get the fuck away from him, Rokudo!" Squalo snarled as he started brandishing his swords. Fran, upon this sight, couldn't help but think that everyone here looked suspiciously like the people from his dreams – even if they _were _just younger versions. "You can't have him!"

"Kufufu~" Mukuro smirked at these words. "I believe _I _was the one to supply him to you?"

"Voi! Yeah, well, not this time!"

Lussuria, who could sense a fight about to break out, moved to stand in front of Squalo, his hands raised defensively.

"Now, now," the flamboyant man placed his hand on Squalo's chest, pushing him back gently. "We don't need to fight over this; just let me talk to Mukuro, okay, dear?"

"And what the fuck are _you _going to do, Gaylord?" Squalo growled. "You gonna try and fuck him or something?"

The older male ignored his superior, turning around and instead heading for Mukuro. He could see the way Fran was cowering, and it broke his heart.

Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes were fixed upon Lussuria, a large scowl on his face. "Might I enquire as to what you want with _my _little one?"

"I want to talk to you in private," Lussuria explained, cocking his head to Fran. "It's about him."

Mukuro was hesitant, his hate and mistrust towards the Varia keeping his feet grounded. "We can't talk here?"

Lussuria shook his head. "Afraid not, dear."

The older illusionist didn't want any of the Varia members near him at all, but if it were for the sake of getting his little one back…

Mukuro was the first to put distance between he and Fran, and he watched warily as Lussuria followed, knowing that if the Sun Guardian tried anything, his two friends would step in.

"I'm assuming your memories tell you Fran should be different, too?" Lussuria asked. He wasn't surprised when the teenager nodded. "This is why the Varia want him; specifically Bel."

"That crazed prince can't have my little one," Mukuro protested. "He's psychotic – he'll _hurt _my little one."

"I normally would agree," Lussuria said remorsefully, "but now I have to put my foot down and say that unless Bel has Fran, neither of them will heal."

"Heal…?" Mukuro raised an eyebrow, unable to comprehend what could possibly have been insinuated.

"They both have the memories of torture in their future," the older man clarified. "Even in the future, they had both been broken, and I fear even memories are still affecting them both. Please, let us take Fran, sweetie."

Mukuro didn't seem affected by those words; he instead shook his head. "Without me, little one will never be one of the strongest illusionists in the world."

"That shouldn't be important anymore – not when he's too young to understand his memories which are so clearly damaging him, even now."

"Say I let you have him…" Mukuro was quiet, calculating at this point. "You already have a Mist Guardian. What would you do with _two _illusionists? You're an assassination squad; not babysitters. The only child any of you have raised is Belphegor – and look at how well _he _turned out. If they do have these… _problems, _what makes you think _Varia _will make a difference?"

Lussuria knew that Mukuro was right, but he also knew how badly Bel wanted Fran – he would never forget walking in on the Storm Guardian crying from memories that were too overwhelming for his young mind, and if giving Fran to him could at least help one of them, he would be willing to try.

"But if we're going by your logic, how will a bunch of teenagers help him?" Lussuria pointed out. "We have life experience and you don't. We'll have a better chance at helping them than you would, dear. I'm sorry, but it's as simple as that; we have the resources to look after Fran."

"Why would you throw away all of his potential?" Mukuro narrowed his eyes. "You've seen it for yourself; his power in the future is enough to give him a solid place amongst Varia ranks."

"If training him is all you're worried about, I just won't let you have him," Lussuria argued. "He's a little boy!"

"And _you're _bringing him into a life of murder!"

The Varia's Sun closed his eyes as he sighed, trying to think of something that would help change Mukuro's mind. "…If we have to agree on something we can all benefit from, we will do that, Mukuro. Just, please… Don't take him from Bel. That's all we want."

The teenager was silent for a few minutes, thinking this offer over. Lussuria was patient with the younger male, looking back over to his comrades. They were sitting by the river, Squalo soaking his toes in the stream while Leviathan stood behind him, looking impatient. Bel was slowly making his way over to the group, and Fran was still sitting on the rock, holding himself as he stared at his reflection.

"I want him weekends."

Lussuria turned back to the illusionist at these words. He smiled as he nodded, knowing that was fair enough. "We can do that, Mukuro. Thank y-"

Before Lussuria could finish thanking the younger, a loud scream from Fran startled everyone and, turning to look at the apple-headed boy, it was clear that the younger was horrified of Bel – the teal eyes that were fixed on the Storm Guardian gave everything away.


	12. Chapter 12

**My MS word died last night, so I'm using a program I haven't used in many years. I really don't like change so I'm a bit iffy on writing at the moment. **

**On another related note, I'm thinking I'll either end this story here, or do just one more chapter for it tomorrow. That's up to you guys, though. Let me know what you want and I'll work on it. **

When it became apparent that Fran's trauma was no better even in a previous timeline, the only thing that could be done was try and stop the boy from running and showing him that it wasn't Rasiel standing before him - it was _Bel, _the same one who had gone through Hell and back to try and protect him.

Fran was fast, much quicker than anyone would have given him credit for as, back in the future, the boy had been lazy and just didn't move, let alone run. He dodge the Varia members with ease as tears ran down his cheeks, his tiny feet trying to get him back to his Grandmother's house.

"Fran, stop!" Squalo, the fastest and most agile Varia member, was quickly closing in on the fleeing boy. He had no choice but to tackle Fran to the ground and, once he pulled the struggling kid into his arms and stood back up, he could only hope that Fran would listen to reason now. "Fran, it's okay. It's okay."

The boy was so scared, so certain that the blond from his dreams was here for him... He couldn't help but lose control of his bladder, whimpering as he tried so hard to be free - he didn't want to experience anything like the things he had in his dreams; he just wanted to go back to Grandma and eat her bad cooking.

"Voi!" Squalo roared, holding Fran by the boy's armpits as he held the boy a distance away, his nose crinkled in disgust. "The shithead just _pissed _on me!"

Mukuro and his two friends stayed where they were, watching warily as the Varia tried to handle things - after the agreement with Lussuria, they knew they technically didn't have a right to intervene, and if the oh-so-bad assassination squad said they could handle a kid, they would have to prove it here and now.

"Squalo, dear!" Lussuria ran to the Strategy Captain and grabbed Fran from Squalo, holding him close. "You're scaring him!"

"He just _pissed _all over me, Gaylord!" Squalo snapped, glad to have the little brat taken from his hold; even as a child, _Belphegor _had never been like this, and he knew already he wouldn't be able to handle Fran. "Keep him the fuck away from me!"

Lussuria held Fran close, whispering to him in hopes that it would soothe the younger's fears. He could see Bel standing by the stream with Mammon on his shoulder, the teenager watching them with a frown.

"It's okay, Fran," Lussuria whispered, rocking the teal-haired boy back and forth. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe. You're safe."

Fran continued to sob as he pushed weakly at the older male's chest; he was too tired, exhausted from the constant nightmares, and he just didn't have the strength to put up a fight.

Bel, who had been feeling his heart break as he watched the boy cry, approached them once Fran settled down. He wasn't conceited enough to think that Fran would be fine this time, and he instead prepared himself for another outburst. When it didn't come, however, he was honestly surprised; had Fran just given up? Resigned himself to the fate he had in his memories? Or was he just too young? Too weak to be able to handle this kind of thing?

"Hey, Froggy...?" Bel's voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with the fear that Fran would reject him - just like how _he himself _had always rejected the younger during the future.

Fran froze at this name; he remembered it as what he had been referred to by someone else in his dream. So why did this boy... know...?

Looking at the taller blond, Fran could see the uncanny resemblance to his torturer from the dream, but... Now that he was paying closer attention... the teenager didn't _feel _like... like _him... _

"You look..." Fran wiped at his eyes, sniffing back tears. His tiny body trembled as he spoke, not sure how he felt about telling a _stranger _about his dreams. "...You look like... s-someone I dreamt about..."

I knew it...

Behind long bangs, Bel closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He whispered, "Do I...?", not wanting to hear the reply.

Fran nodded. "In the dream... I-it was really scary... But you don't feel like him..."

"...A dream, huh...?" Bel felt tears well up in his eyes, but he fought against them, not wanting to cry in front of Fran. "...Yeah, they can be scary..."

"In my dream... Someone else called me 'Froggy'..."

"...What a coincidence..." Bel didn't have the heart to tell Fran that they weren't dreams - that they were _memories _of things Fran would probably _never _come to understand. "...You do look a bit like a frog, though..."

"Why are you here...?" Fran slowly felt his body relaxing as he spoke to the blond - but the same couldn't be said for the others; when Lussuria coughed into his hand, the boy jumped and struggled once more.

"...We came to bring you back to Italy with us," Bel explained. "...We... We're going to look after you..."

Lussuria placed Fran on the ground now that he felt the boy wasn't going to run away. He watched the two younger boys carefully, listening to what was being said.

"But... my Grandma..." Fran bit his lip, not wanting to leave the woman who had raised him since birth.

"We already spoke to her," Bel partially lied - it was true they _had _talked to her, but the woman had no idea they were going to kidnap her grandson and take him overseas. "She thinks you'll be better off with us."

Fran nodded. He didn't know why, but he felt much more comfortable around the blond than he did anyone else - even his grandmother. "...Okay... Can I say goodbye to her...?"

"I'm afraid not," Lussuria added in, knowing he couldn't let Bel break his own heart by lying to the boy he just wanted to protect. "She already left. We don't know where she went, and our plane leaves very soon."

"What about my things...?"

"We'll replace everything you own when we get to Italy," Bel promised.

"Okay, Bel-senpai..."

It was silent after Fran had spoken, everyone too surprised by Fran's acknowledgement to know what to say - if Fran believed his memories to be dreams... Why did he just refer to Belphegor by the title only _he _was allowed to use...?

"Why did you call me that?" Bel whispered, not knowing what to think.

"What?"

"...Bel-senpai..."

"I didn't... I... I don't even know your name." Fran frowned, not entirely sure what Bel was talking about; he had just whispered the first thing to come to his mind as he stressed about leaving his home behind - he was hardly aware of what he had even _said. _

"...Well, it's Belphegor," Bel whispered again, "but you can call me Bel-senpai."

"Okay. In my dream, I knew someone called Bel-senpai. ...He hated me, though..."

If Bel thought his heart wouldn't break anymore than it had at that statement, he was wrong - he was unable to stop the tears that raced down his cheeks as Fran spoke once more.

"Are you going to hate me, too...?"

"..." Bel shook his head, reaching out to hug Fran. "...That was... just a dream, right...? I'm not... I'm not _that _Bel-senpai... I'll love you and protect you... I'll never let anything happen to you..."

Fran shyly returned the embrace, feeling safer than he had in months in the teenager's arms. "I'll trust you... Bel-senpai..."

"Good. Because that was just a dream - and dreams aren't real."

"I know, Bel-senpai... I know..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Bel-senpai, it's so big." Fran's teal eyes were wide as he stared around the mansion he had just stepped into. He could see a huge living room off to his left. There were red drapes drawn over giant windows and the carpet was red, too. There were several black couches positioned so that they made a crooked 'C' with a coffee table in front, a flat screen TV which took up more space than Fran believed was possible sticking out of the wall. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with all sorts of things, and a few plants were placed against the wall here and there.

Further down the entrance hallway, Fran found a kitchen, the dining room, a spare bathroom and the laundry room. He almost couldn't believe his eyes, not understanding that there were still _three _more floors to the mansion to explore.

"Let's go to the prince's room." Bel was placid as he grabbed Fran's wrist, leading him up the spiralling staircase. "His stuff is more interesting."

"Okay." Fran's tiny feet struggled to keep up with Bel, but he didn't mind; once they got to the bottom of the stairwell, the blond picked him up and rested him on his strong shoulders.

The boy giggled, gripping the teenager's hair tightly as he was given a piggyback up the stairs. Bel, who usually didn't like _anyone _touching his hair, had already made an exception for Fran, and Fran alone.

The Storm Guardian ran up the stairs as fast as he could, his hands wrapped around chubby legs securely so that Fran didn't fall. They both laughed as they stopped at the third floor, neither of them thinking at all on the stress they had so recently been feeling - all that mattered was they were together and having fun.

"Hey, Bel-senpai?" Fran smiled as he was brought to one of the double doors further down the corridor. "Bel-senpai, is your room as big as downstairs?"

The blond nodded, stopping at the doors that led to his bedroom. He pushed them open, revealing a room that was bigger than Frans' entire _house _back in Jura.

"Bel-senpai..." Fran was in shock; he had never thought a bedroom could be so big before. The double bed that rested against the middle of the far wall was covered in red silk sheets, more pillows than the teenager could possibly use decorating it. There were clothes and other items scattered all over the floor, hiding it from Fran's view. A desk sitting in front of a large window held a whole bunch of silver things that looked suspiciously like the knives from his dream. There was a closet to his right, and a door leading off to his left.

"What's in there, Bel-senpai?" Fran pointed to the door on the left, not sure what to think - he had never heard of bedrooms having more rooms inside them.

"The prince's personal bathroom." Bel brought Fran over to the bed, leaning over so that Fran fell onto the soft mattress. He laughed when Fran pouted up at him, brushing teal hair from the younger's face. "Move over."

Fran did as he was told, making way for Bel. They lazed on the bed together, the boy's head resting on Bel's strong chest.

"Froggy..." Bel's fingers combed soft hair gently, his voice softer than ever. "...Froggy, tell the prince about your dreams."

Fran reached out, grabbing Bel's hand as if to ground himself. He was quiet for a few seconds before he started explaining, in a voice that was just far too quiet for the boy, "...In my dreams... I was in a squad just like this... You guys even look... like younger versions... And in my dream... I... I had a crush on Bel-senpai..."

Belphegor laughed as Fran's cheeks flushed and the boy looked away. "Is that so? Did you ever say anything?"

Fran shook his head. "He hated me, but... I-I think that... after... After _that _happened... he stopped hating me..."

"After 'that'?" Bel knew exactly what the younger was talking about, but he also knew it would do them both some good to talk about it.

Fran nodded. "Bel-senpai's brother... He hurt us... He did things to me I didn't understand... It was... It was really scary..."

"It was just a dream," Bel promised. He reached out, pulling the younger into a hug. "The prince will never let anyone hurt his Froggy."

"You're just like Bel-senpai from my dreams," Fran uttered. "The only difference is that you don't hate me..."

"Yeah, but I'm sure the dream Bel is pretty handsome, right?" A lopsided smirk made its way onto the teenager's face, his egotistical personality shining through. "Dropdead gorgeous even. Sexiest man ever."

Fran giggled, wriggling closer to the older male. "Do _you _have a brother, Bel-senpai?"

"..." _What should I tell him? Should I tell him the truth? _Bel sighed, not sure what to say. _He's too young to understand - he may not even piece all the puzzle together yet... What if... I tell him the truth when he's old enough to understand...? _"...Yeah... I had a brother, but... he's dead..."

"Sorry, senpai... I didn't mean to upset you or anything." An apologetic look crossed Fran's face as the boy leant up, kissing Bel's cheek.

"It's fine." The Storm Guardian continued running his hand through teal hair, smiling in reassurance. "After all - it was only a dream; it's not like anything from the dream ever happened... Right?" As much as Bel wanted to believe in his own words, it was hard knowing the truth - that they _weren't _dreams; they really _had _happened and had left behind damage neither of them knew how to cope with.

"Yeah..." Fran closed his eyes, a soft, relaxed sigh escaping his lips. "...Yeah, just a dream..."

~~Thirteen years later~~

"Froggy, can I talk to you about something?"

Fran looked up from Bel's bed where he had been laying down, reading a book. "Yeah?"

Bel fidgeted with his hands as he looked anywhere but at Fran, not knowing how to start off. "...It's just... I have something important you need to know..."

Fran placed his book aside, moving over to make room on the bed for Bel. He was silent as the older man processed his thoughts, giving him time; it was rare to see Bel distressed about anything, so this must be _very _important.

"...Do you remember those dreams you had...?"

Fran nodded - as if he'd ever forget _that... _"Yeah."

"...Well... It's just..." Bel lifted a hand to his hair, pulling at his blond locks; he didn't know what to say, just that Fran was now twenty-years-old and had a right to know the truth. "...They... They weren't... _dreams..._ No matter what I told you..."

"I know, senpai." Fran said in a calm tone, sending a wave of shock through Bel - how did he _know...? _They had _always _done their best to keep the truth from Fran...!

"What...? What do you mean, 'I know'...?"

"I know." Fran shrugged. "I heard you and Lussuria talking about it. They're memories. I was just too young to understand."

"...We only wanted to protect you, Froggy..." Bel whispered, feeling as if Fran was going to hate him for keeping this from him.

"I know. I'm glad you did, senpai. ...I... don't think I'd have coped if you told me any sooner..." Fran glanced at his lap, feeling his body tense at these words.

"You're not... mad...?" Bel was almost too afraid to hear the answer.

Fran shook his head. "You did the right thing, senpai. Thank you."

Bel slowly started smiling once more before he crawled over Fran, pinning the younger to the bed with his arms and legs either side of his body. "Does the frog still think the prince is sexy?"

Fran felt a smirk slip onto his face. "I always did, senpai."

With that said, Bel closed the distance between their lips, the two sharing their first kiss together in this current timeline. The blond couldn't have been happier, finally feeling as if the damage in his heart was repairing - and Fran, someone who had never truly been able to get over his fear of other people, melted, finally at peace.

When they broke apart for air, Fran whispered, "I think I like this timeline better, senpai. No one had to rape me to get you to love me."

Bel couldn't help but laugh, leaning down to kiss the other gently again. Murmuring against soft lips, he whispered, "The prince loves his Froggy. ...He always did..."

"The frog loves his prince, too," Fran uttered back, reaching up to hug the taller man.

Bel knew things may never be perfect due to their ongoing trauma, but he did know that things couldn't have been better right now - their first kiss was perfect and, soon enough, their first time together was better than they could have ever imagined.


End file.
